Cross My Heart
by kcurtsrednuhT
Summary: Jonathan Sing struggles to make it as an independent hero with a decidedly non-heroic power, all while trying to stay out of the grasp of both the villains and the authorities. Full OC cast.


**Bad Dreams 1.1**

_Can't let her get away._

Every one of my steps pounded hard against the pavement, each stride just a bit longer than I expected. I raced down the alleyway, in pursuit of a woman in a large, crimson and gold queen-like outfit, every end of the costume poofing extravagantly outward. The collar and skirt, especially, had way too much frill and just had to be too big to be comfortable.

The woman, _wasn't her name Gold or something_, turned a corner, smacking one hand against the brick wall of the building to her left as she did so. As I turned around that same corner, the wall exploded outward, showering me in shards of brick and cement that somehow momentarily obscured my vision. Dammit, she was fast - and crafty. As she reached the curb of a large street with thankfully few cars at this time of night, the ground beneath her exploded, propelling her high into the air and over the entire street.

I was barely able to keep her in my line of sight as she continued running as soon as she hit the ground, with me being forced to run across the street, barely sparing a glance to check for cars. My vision was startlingly clear as I peered down the entire, multiple-mile long street, seeing no cars nearby. Turning my attention back to the chase, I nearly slammed into a tree, and had to do a weird half-turn to avoid it.

Distracted by my near miss, I failed to notice as the ground beneath my feet bulged and exploded, launching me off my feet and flat on my face. Unfazed, I scrambled back up and immediately scanned the alley in front of me, barely catching the end of Gold's skirt as she whipped around a corner. I pumped the metaphorical gas as I sprinted, trying desperately to catch up to her, but when I turned the corner, all I found was a hole in the ground - and nobody there.

_What the fuck_, I thought, _she was just here. She couldn't have gotten far._

_Wait..._I directed my sight upwards, just in time to see Gold's left eye, unobscured by her white half-mask, widen as she scrambled up a fire escape onto a low-roofed building. I backed up a little to get a start, before running and leaping up onto the fire escape. I aimed for the bottom, hoping to grab on to the lowest railing and haul myself up, but overshot and landed awkwardly on my front. Pulling myself to my feet, I raced up he stairs of the fire escape, extremely thankful for my long legs.

As I neared the top, I saw Gold as I finally gained on her. She ran across the length of the runway, and I understood immediately that she was going to propel herself across to the next rooftop. There was no way I was going to make that jump myself, and I knew it was sink or swim right there. I put everything I had into my sprint, and I could've sworn I heard a pop as I picked up speed. The ground beneath Gold exploded outwards off the edge of the roof, and I heaved myself off the roof as well, grabbing Gold's leg as she flew and dragging us both down.

We hit the ground hard, and I heard Gold scream in terror or pain, or maybe some mixture of the two, as she slammed into the hard pavement between two buildings. I barely felt the pain, and crawled on top of her, both hands going around her arms, trying to pin them to the ground. The skin on her hands seemed to shift and move, and I knew my power was starting to set in now.

Gold turned her head to look up at me, and screamed again. The loud noise distracted me, and she managed to wriggle one hand out from under mine, placing it flat against my chest.

"Get off of me, you _freak!"_ she shouted, pushing against my chest with her hand. Something strange happened, then - I felt something indescribable in my chest, and I looked down to see it caving in on itself, leaving a huge, gaping hole and-

"Holy shit!" I flew to my feet, and my mind took a second to adjust to the darkness and my new surroundings. Messy desk, unfinished homework, shelf full of fantasy novels...

"God dammit," The strength drained out of me, and I fell back onto my bed, feeling exhausted. I extended one hand above my head, examining my normal, human fingers, and then let it fall onto my face. "I had her. _I had her._ I can't believe I let her get away. Fucking fuck."

I turned around, putting my face on my pillow. Maybe my parents were right. Maybe Ben was better than me. Maybe I really would never amount to anything.

I drifted off to a restless sleep, plagued by dreams of everything I'd done wrong that night.


End file.
